Sheet material handling device



y 1, 1966 L. c. WHEAT 3,253,852

SHEET MATERIAL HANDLING DEVICE Filed May 15, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE TOR.

dime/mm C flea! ATTORNEYS May 31, 1966 1 c. WHEAT 3,253,852

SHEET MATERIAL HANDLING DEVICE Filed May 15, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 HIHIHIHHHIk-IW LH HIP wi i 81 65 IN VEN TOR.

542x B 55 flwg dwape 3 41 ATTORNEYS May 31, 1966 1.. c. WHEAT SHEET MATERIAL HANDLING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 15, 1964 INVENTOR- oiiwcmee C. CZ/flmz BY flofia f d (1/ e V ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,253,852 SHEET MATERIAL HANDLING DEVICE Lawrence C. Wheat, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Libbey- Owens-Ford Glass Company, Toledo, Ohio, at corporation of Ohio 7 Filed May 15, 1964, Ser. No. 367,663

9 Claims. (Cl. 294-67) The present invention relates to the handling of sheet material and is more particularly concerned with a novel device for handling sheet material on a transfer buck while supporting the same in vertical equilibrium.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved handling device for raising a transfer buck from a fixed surface and to prevent tilting of the same while sheet materials are stacked on edge one one side thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handling device for lifting transfer bucks having sheet materials stacked on edge on one side thereof while supporting the buck in a vertical plane of equilibrium through the center of gravity of the combined buck and sheet materials to prevent falling of the sheets therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a handling device of the above character which is of relatively rigid yet simple construction; can be rapidly connected to and separated from a transfer buck and does not require frequent service to be maintained in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent during the course of the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the handling device constructed in accordance with the invention as employed with a sheet material storage buck;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the handling device and storage buck;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the handling device as viewed in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detail section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal detail view;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary detaail view taken on line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the handling device when supported on a hanger bracket;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modified form of handling device; and

FIG. 9 is an end view of the handling device of FIG. 8.

Although use of the handling device of this invention is not restricted to any particular sheet material, it has been employed to advantage in connection-with relatively large sheets or blanks of glass and will hereinafter be described in that connection.

As is commonly known, the production of polished plate glass involves formation and annealing of the glass as a substantially continuous ribbon, grinding of the opposite surfaces of the glass, and finally, polishing the surfaces to the desired optical clarity. According to present practice, the glass ribbon, either before or after being ground to obtain parallelism between the opposed surfaces, is cut into individual sheets or blanks, and these sheets or blanks are then polished on their respective surfaces. Usually as the glass blanks are removed from the cutting area, they are placed on edge in stacked relation against the opposite inclined surfaces of a storage or transfer buck. This may either be for the purpose of obtaining an available stock of rough blanks or to convey a fully loaded buck to another working area as for the polishing operation.

' As one side of the transfer buck is loaded with a stack of glass blanks, it of course becomes necessary to reverse or turn the buck to present the empty side for further loading. It is known that turn-table platforms, arranged in a factory floor and on which a buck can be supported, will suitably turn the buck for this purpose. However, such platforms require a considerable amount of floor area and must be continually maintained for operable service. Consequently, for more eificient use of available floor space and to locate the transfer bucks more advantageously in the cutting or other working areas, it is herein contemplated to employ the handling device of the present invention to lift the partially loaded buck vertically, and then lower it to its former location after the buck has been turned. In this connection, it will hereinafter be more fully explained that during the vertical lifting action the equilibrium of the transfer buck is maintained to prevent tilting of the glass blanks.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a preferred form of material handling device, constructed in accordance with the invention and designated in its entirety by .the numeral 10, and a storage or transfer buck similarly designated by the numeral 11. Generally stated, the handling device 10 is adapted to engage the buck 11 at its upper and lower extremities to lift the same while being supported on the hook 12 of a conventional over-head bridge crane which is generally'available in such areas. In consideration of the end elevation in FIG. 2, it will be observed that the handling device 10 is raised by the crane hook 12 along a broken line designated by the letter e. The broken line e thus lies in a vertical plane in equilibrium and passes a through the center of gravity of the combined weights of the handling device, transfer buck and sheet material stacked on one of its sides.

More particularly, the handling device 10 includes a lifting member 14 formed with an apertured crane-hook receiving upper plate 15 and a lower, aligned buck supporting plate 16 which are rigidly interconnected by a vertically disposed tubular bar 17. The bar 17 is notched at its upper end to receive the lower end of the plate 15 and a rod 18 is passed through the plate and bar, the parts being secured together as by welding. Similarly, the lower end of the bar is notched to receive the upper area of the plate 16; the bar and plate in this instance being welded together and further secured by means of a rivet or like pin fastening. For reasons to be hereinaftermore fully explained, the bar is as long as is found practical in use and by way of example may be approximately six feet in length between plates 15 and 16.

The plate 15 is substantially rectangular and is provided with a vertically elongated opening 19. A cranehook locator plate 20 is afiixed to the vertical rear edge surface of the plate 15 to extend substantially equally outward from each side thereof for reasons to be more fully explained. As viewed in FIG. 2, the lower support plate 16 is formed with a hook-shaped projecting end 21 having a notch 22 therein. The opposite end 23 of the plate is adapted to support a sling member 24 by means of a suitably secured bolt 25.

The sling member 24, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3, is substantially A-shaped in plan and includes angularly disposed channel members or legs 26 and 27 which are integrally interjoined by a horizontally disposed bar 28. The upper ends of the legs 26 and 27 are provided with brackets 26' and 27' which are adapted to be supported on opposite sides of the plate end 23 by the bolt 25. At their lower ends, the channels 26 and 27 are adapted to support the upper end of a relatively articulate buck supporting member, generally designated by the numeral 29. Each member 29 at its oppositeor lower extremity has a hook device 30 as will hereinafter be more fully described. Generally speaking, the supporting members 29 include a section 31 of chain which permits the hook devices 30 to be readily and operably connected to a storage buck or attached to the sling member 24 when not in. use. For this purpose, each channel 26 or 27 is equipped with a U-shaped bracket 32.

To this end, as seen in detail in FIG. 4, the uppermost link 33 of chain 31 of each support member 29 is carried by a bolt 34 at the lower ends of the leg channels 26 and 27. The bolt is passed through receiving holes 35 in the web 36 of each channel and a plate 37 rigidly secured, as by welding, to the ends of the flanges 38, and is held in position by nuts 39.

Each hook device or supporting member 30 is formed with a substantially J-shaped body portion 40 to include an upwardly directed lug 41 suitably spaced from the body portion to provide an elongated notch 42. In this connection, it will be note-d in FIG. 3 that the perpendicular axis of the body portion 40 is disposed in an inclined plane substantially parallel to the plane of either the channel 26 or 27 while the bottom surface 43 is located in a substantially horizontal plane with the notch 42 parallel therewith. The upper end of the body portion 40 is bifurcated to provide a slot 45 in which the lower link 46 of chain 31 is received and connected to said body portion 40 by means of bolt 47. The bolt 47 is passed through receiving holes 48 in the legs 49 of the bifurcated end and secured by nuts 50.

On the outer surfaces of each hook member, latching devices 52 are carried by bracket plates 53. Each latch, as in FIGS. and 6, is formed by a rod suitably bent into U-shape so as to provide a medial portion 54, slidably supported in bracket plate 53, a handle 55 and a locking portion 56.

The sling 24 is also provided with a bar 57, suitably clamped to the legs 26 and 27 beneath the bar 28, to assist in manual handling of the sling as will be more fully hereinafter described.

To provide a means for cushioning the stack of sheet material and to restrain the same from shifting when the transfer buck is raised and turned, a pair of resiliently supported elements are mounted. on the bar 28. Such cushioning or restraining elements include a rubber cup 60 mounted on an end of a threaded rod 61 slidably supported in a block 62 attached to the ends of the bar 28. The rod is adapted to be urged axially by a coil spring 63 (FIG. 9) interposed between one end of the block 62 and a washer 64 fixed by nut 65 on the rod adjacent the cup 60. The action of the spring operates to resiliently urge the cup away from the block 62, which action is limited by lock-nuts 66 on the rod at the opposite side of the block 62. To readily exhaust air from within the cup 60, the rim thereof is provided with notched areas 67.

One typical transfer buck, herein designated by the numeral 11 and shown by way of example in connection with a practical use of the handling device 10, includes a base 70 and medially disposed vertical wall 71. Although the actual details of such a' transfer or sheet supporting buck form no part of this invention, for purposes of clarity, the base 70 may be formed of longitudinally disposed pairs of outer channel members 72 and inner channel members 73 interjoined at their respective ends by like members 74. The wall 71 includes angular members 75 integrally connected at their lower ends to the inner channels 73 and the end members 74. The angular members 75 are thence directed upwardly in inwardly inclined relation and are joined at their upper ends by a horizontally disposed beam 76. At the midpoint or center of gravity along the longitudinal centerline of the buck, the bar 76 is adapted to support a crane-hook receiving member or bail 77 by bolts 78 by which the buck can be bodily raised and transported.

For the purposes of this invention, the transfer buck is additionally equipped with hook-engaging, U-shaped brackets 79 secured to the outwardly directed surfaces of the channels 72 of the base 70. Each bracket is fixed to the channels by end flanges 80 and includes a wall 81 spaced from. the surface of the channel to form an opening in which a hook device or member 30 can be readily received. In this respect, it will be noted that the brackets 79 are equally spaced from the vertical center line of the buck so that it will be balanced between its ends when engaged by the sling 24.

To support sheet materials S, such as sheets or blanks of glass, there are provided felt-covered blocks 82 that are arranged on the pairs of base members 72 and 73 and spaced apart to support the lower edges of the sheet material in a suitably balanced manner. The outwardly directed surfaces of the wall 71 are arranged as aforementioned in upwardly converging relationship so as to receive and support sheets or blanks of glass as they are stacked one against another. For this purpose, each supporting surface of the wall 71 generally is formed by horizontal and vertical bars of wood as at 83 (FIG. 2). Usually, the felt-covered upper surfaces of the blocks 82 are substantially at right angles to the surfaces of the wall to the end that the sheets, as they are placed on edge on said blocks, will assume inwardly inclined positions and the finally loaded stack will have sufficient stability so as to not fall outwardly. Obviously, when a transfer buck is loaded on both sides with stacks of sheets of substantially equal weight, such weight is equally distributed on the buck and it can be raised from a fixed surface, such as a floor, by a crane engaging the bail 77 with the combined weight of the buck and stacks of sheets thereon maintained in equilibrium. In its practical aspects, utility of the handling device of this invention thus is directed to the raising of a transfer buck while one side is entirely empty of sheets, which could otherwise result in unbalancing of the buck with consequent damage or destruction of the glass blanks falling from the loaded side.

During intervals when the device is not in use, the same can be supported, as viewed in FIG. 7, on a portion of the building structure in position to be easily removed. For this purpose of conveniently storing the device, a frame is mounted by a plate 91 on a structural column 92 of the building in which the transfer bucks are used during processing of the glass sheets. Such a frame includes spaced horizontal bars 93, braced by struts 94 and equipped at their ends with stop plates 95, and adapted to support the opposite ends of the bar 18 of the device 10.

When it is desired to reverse the position of a transfer buck and thereby locate the empty side for further stacking of sheet material, the operator of a bridge crane directs the hook 12 toward the upper plate 15 of the device 10 while in its rest position on the frame 90. Since the crane-hook is conventionally adapted to swing about the vertical axis of its support, the nose or open end thereof will move into engagement with the opening 19 or strike the plate 20. By slowly maneuvering the position of the hook, it will pivot and slide across the plate 20, against either end thereof, to then easily enter the opening 19 whereupon raising of the hook will lift the device 10 bodily from the frame 90.

After the handling device' 10 is lowered in the vicinity of the transfer buck, an operator swings the sling 24 outwardly of the buck by the handle bar 57 to allow clear- 7 ance of the sling from the stacked sheets as the notch the opposite locking end portions 56 will be located so as to engage the flanges of the base channel 72 of the buck. Since latching devices 52 are provided on each side of a hook member 30, the supporting engagement of the said members to the brackets 79 will be made positive. Also, when the sling is swung inwardly, the cushioning elements or cups 60 willbe urged against the upper area of the outermost sheet of the stacked material whereby the rubber cups press against the sheet surface. This will result in compression of the springs 63, as the support rods 61 slide outwardly of the blocks 62, to press the cups firmly and thus restrain the stack from shifting.

When the supporting members 29 have thus been attached to the brackets 79 along the side of the buck on which a number of sheets or blanks have been stacked, it is not necessary for the floor operator to remain in the immediate area of the handling device and consequentially he can move to a position from which the actions of the crane operator can be directed. Additionally, the crane operator is made aware that the buck can be raised without inadvertent injury to the floor operator. When the device is raised by thecrane-hook 12, the crane-hook will, of course, assume a position vertically above the center of gravity of-the combined handling device, buck and the sheets stacked on one side thereof. The vertically directed lifting action is transmitted to the buck through the bail 77 in the notch 22 of plate 16 and the sling 24 carried by bolt 25 at the opposite end 23 of the plate. The bar 17 is attached to the plate 16 at a point vertically above the combined center of gravity with the buck in its normal at rest position. Thus, when the buck is raised, the vertical broken line 2 (-FIG. 2) through the point of support, i.e., the hook 12, passes through the center of gravity of the combined handling device, transfer buck and the sheets stacked on one of its sides with the buck in this same position. In other words, the buck does not tilt when lifted, but retains the same attitude as when resting upon the floor.

As mentioned earlier, the bar 17 is of considerable length so as to establish a maximum distance from the point of support to the center of gravity. In fact, if the point of support is placed above the center of gravity as high as is practically possible, any variation in the center of gravity of the stack of material will result in only a negligible angular change in the partially loaded buck when it is raised by the crane-hook. This becomes important when the thickness of the glass blanks varies or the total weight of the stack is increased or decreased by the number of blanks stacked on one side of the buck before it is turned.

It is of additional interest to note that while the broken line e passes through the center of gravity, it is also located in a plane bisecting the angle formed by the legs 26 and 27 of the sling member 24. As hereinabove described, the supporting members 29 are flexibly connected to the lower ends of the sling legs by the sections of chain 31 with the notches 42 of the hook devices 30 located in a common horizontal plane. Consequently, when the bail 77 is engaged in the notch 22 of plate 16, thereby serving to carry the buck in balanced equilibrium between the ends thereof, attachment of the hook mernbers 30 to the brackets 79 serves to stabilize the buck and maintain such balance of equilibrium.

As seen in FIG. 2, the partially loaded transfer buck 11 can thus be maintained in equilibrium and lifted from a fixed surface such as the floor 100 to any desired height and then freely swung about the axis of the crane-hook. Usually the floor operator grasps the bar 57 and turns the raised buck until the empty side is suitably located for subsequent loading operation.

The relative freedom of movement of a fioor operator while connecting or disconnecting the handling device 10 to or from a storage buck, in addition to safety to his person from inadvertent injury, is of extreme importance when the buck is to be located in close proximity to horizontally disposed conveyor-s, work tables or the tables of a grinding or polishing line. With the novel handling device, such storage bucks can be supported and raised to clear the surface of this apparatus while the buck is being turned. When the empty side of the buck is in position for further loading of the sheet material, it is lowered onto the floor and the handling device is removed.

With reference now to FIGS. 8 and 9, there is shown at 104 another embodimentof the handling device which can be employed in the same manner as the handling device 10. In this respect, the device 104 in no way departs from the spirit of the invention, modifications incorporated therein being essentially directed to the manner in which the hook members are connected to the diagonally arranged channels of the sling herein designated by the numeral 105.

In the modified form of sling 105, the legs or channels 106 and 107 are provided with an integral bar 108, similar to the bar 28 hereinabove described-and a manually engageable bar 109. The legs 106 and 107 project downwardly therebeneath and at their respective lower ends are equipped with a threaded block 110 by which a hook member 111 is adjustably attached to said legs of the sling member. Thus, each hook member 111 is secured to the respective block 110 by means of a threaded rod 112 equipped with suitable locknuts 113. The rod 112, in either instance, is employed to locate the respective hook members 111 in a substantially horizontal plane. The hook members 111 are limited to axial movement during adjustment by means of downwardly extended portions 114 of one flange of the respective channel members 106 or 107. It is therefore believed apparent that, while the sling of the modified form of the invention is of a more rigid construction, it is adapted to raise and lower a storage buck, having glass sheets stacked on one side thereof, in the same manner and for the same purpose as has been fully described in connection with the handling device 10.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as illustrative embodiments only of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a device for handling a sheet supporting buck having a horizontal base and a longitudinally extending vertical wall medially thereof dividing the base into two sheet supporting sides with sheet material carried on one side:

(a) a lifting member above the buck and having a supporting plate extending transversely of said buck,

(b) means attaching one end of said supporting plate to said longitudinally extending vertical wall,

(0) means attaching the other end of said supporting plate to said base on the side on which the sheet material is carried and outwardly thereof, and

(d) lifting means attached to said supporting plate intermediate its ends and substantially vertically above the combined center of gravity whereby the buck is lifted upwardly without tilting.

2. In a device for handling a sheet supporting buck having a horizontal base and a longitudinally extending vertical wall medially thereof dividing the base 'into two sheet supporting sides with sheet material carried on one side: I

(a) a bail on the top of said vertical wall,

(b) a lifting member above the buck,

(c) said lifting member including a supporting plate extending transversely of said buck, one end of said supporting plate detachably engaging said bail,

-(d) a sling carried by the other end of said supporting plate,

(e) said sling including legs having means at their lower ends detachably engaging said base on the side thereof on which the sheet material is carried,

(f) a vertically disposed member secured at its lower end to said supporting plate intermediate the ends thereof and substantially vertically above the combined center of gravity,

(g) and means carried by the upper end of said vertically disposed member for attachment to lifting means whereby the buck and sheet material thereon can be lifted without tilting.

3. A device for handling a sheet supporting claimed in claim 2, in which said sling includes:

(a) means carried by said legs urging said sheet material against the longitudinally extending vertical wall.

4. A device for handling a sheet supporting buck as claimed in claim 2, including:

(a) a length of chain attached to the lower end of each of the legs of said sling, and

(b) :a hook on each length of chain for detachably engaging said base.

5. A device for handling a sheet supporting buck as claimed in claim 2, including:

(a) a block attached to the lower end of each of the legs of said sling, and

(b) a hook carried by each said block for detachably engaging said base, the hooks being axially adjustable along said leg for locating said hooks in a common horizontal plane.

6. A device for handling a sheet supporting buck having a horizontal base and a vertical wall with sheets stacked on the base on one side of the wall, said handling device comprising:

(a) a vertically disposed lifting member,

(b) a sliding member swingably supported from the lower end of the lifting member,

buck as (c) means for attaching said lifting member at its upper end to an overhead lifting and traveling crane mechamsm,

(d) means at the lower end of the lifting member for engaging the vertical Wall of the buck, and

(e) means at the lower end of the sling member attachable to said base along either side thereof,

(f) the vertical axis of said lifting member passing substantially through the center of gravity of said handling device, buck and sheet materials arranged on one side thereof.

7. A device for handling a sheet supporting buck as claimed in claim 6, in which the vertical wall of the buck is equipped with a supporting bail and the vertically disposed lifting member includes:

(a) a tubular connecting bar, I

(b) a plate secured at the upper end of said bar provided with an' opening to receive a crane-hook of the overhead lifting and traveling mechanism,

(c) a plate secured at the lower end of said connecting bar,

(d) said lower plate on one side of said bar having a hook shaped end for engaging the supporting bail of the buck,

(e) the opposite end of said lower plate being adapted to support the said sling member, and

(f) the vertical axis of said connecting bar being located between said hooked end and said supported sling member substantially on a verticalline through the crane-hook and the center of gravity of the handling device, buck and sheet materials loaded on one side thereof,

8. A device for handling a sheet supporting buck as defined in claim 6, in which the horizontal base of said supporting buck is rectangular and is provided with spaced supporting brackets on each of its longitudinal sides, and

(a) the sling member is formed with downwardly divergent legs connected at their respective upper ends to the lower end of the lifting member,

(b) a hook member at the lower end of each of said legs adapted to engage the support brackets along one side of the base of the supporting buck, and

(c) means adjustably connecting each hook member to a respective leg of the sling member to locate said hook members in a common horizontal plane.

9. A device for handling a sheet supporting buck having a horizontal base and a longitudinal medially disposed vertical wall with sheet materials carried oh one side thereof, said buck including:

(a) supporting brackets attached to the longitudinal sides of the base in equally spaced relation from the transverse axis of the buck, and

(b) a support bail located at the midpoint of the top of the vertical wall,

(c) said handling device comprising a vertically disposed lift member and (d) a sling member,

(e) said lift member including a tubular connecting bar with plates integrally secured to the upper and lower ends thereof,

(f) the upper plate having an elongated opening aligned with the longitudinal axis of the connecting bar for receiving a hook of an overhead lifting and traveling mechanism,

(g) the lower plate having a hook at one end for engagement with said hail of the buck,

(h) the lower plate at its opposite end having a bolt receiving opening for support of the sling member,

(i) said sling member being formed by a pair of legs diverging downwardly at equal engles from a vertical plane through the axis of the connecting bar and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said buck,

(j) a plate secured to the upper end of each leg and swingably connected to said opposite end of the lower plate at the bolt receiving opening therein,

(k) a horizontally disposed bar fixed to each of the legs to maintain the angular relation, therebetween (l) a length of chain attached to the lower end of each said leg, and

(m) a hook member on each said length of chain adapted to engage the support brackets along one side of the buck, the hook'members being positioned in a common horizontal plane,

(11) the said longitudinal axis of the connecting bar being positioned in predetermined spaced relation between the hook end of said lower plate and the bolt receiving opening in the opposite end thereof so as to locate the crane hook receiving opening in said upper plate of the lift member substantially along a vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the handling device, support buck and sheet materials arranged on one side thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1931 Crowley 29463 X GER LD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR HANDLING A SHEET SUPPORTING BUCK HAVING A HORIZONTAL BASE AND A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING VERTICAL WALL MEDIALLY THEREOF DIVIDING THE BASE INTO TWO SHEET SUPPORTING SIDES WITH SHEET MATERIAL CARRIED ON ONE SIDE: (A) A LIFTING MEMBER ABOVE THE BUCK AND HAVING A SUPPORTING PLATE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID BUCK, (B) MEANS ATTACHING ONE END OF SAID SUPPORTING PLATE TO SAID LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING VERTICAL WALL, (C) MEANS ATTACHING THE OTHER END OF SAID SUPPORTING PLATE TO SAID BASE ON THE SIDE ON WHICH THE SHEET MATERIAL IS CARRIED AND OUTWARDLY THEREOF, AND (D) LIFTING MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID SUPPORTING PLATE INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS AND SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY ABOVE THE COMBINED CENTER OF GRAVITY WHEREBY THE BUCK IS LIFTED UPWARDLY WITHOUT TILTING. 